Third-party authorities with Aware Super

Form details

Form: 'Third Party Letter of Authority', code V851 06/25, at https://aware.com.au/content/dam/aware/au/en/documents/member/forms/V851-Third-Party-Letter-of-Authority.pdf (short link aware.com.au/thirdpartyauthorityform). Requirements read directly from the form: member signature + date required (fillable PDF with Save/Print buttons; instructions say 'dark pen and CAPITAL letters' - electronic signature acceptance is unverified, assume wet signature is safest). Member number field present but the mandatory (*) fields are DOB, first/last name, home address (must NOT be a PO Box), mobile number. CRITICAL: the home address supplied must match the address the fund holds - if the client has moved, address must be updated with the fund BEFORE lodging or the TPA is delayed/rejected. For a company/practice nomination (Section 2A): licensee AFSL* and practice ABN* are mandatory; up to 6 individual authorised persons can be listed, and each financial adviser must supply their ASIC Financial Adviser Authorised Representative Number plus a direct email AND mobile (Aware sends documents secured by one-time PIN to that email/mobile). Validity: maximum 3 years from date signed (member can request earlier expiry); covers ALL of the member's Aware accounts including closed accounts and future accounts. Revocable any time in writing or by phone. Information/enquiry authority only - no transactions or detail changes. No ID certification requirement stated on the form.

Where and how to lodge

Email the completed form to enquiries@aware.com.au (confirmed on both the V851 form itself and Aware's TelstraSuper-merger FAQ), or post to Aware Super, GPO Box 89, Melbourne VIC 3001. No fax channel published. No adviser-portal TPA upload existed as of the portal's 2023 launch (advisers publicly requested document lodgement via portal in IFA comments); Aware's Sept 2025 digital upgrade added Xplan data feeds and online transaction authorisation but a portal TPA-upload channel remains unverified - treat email to enquiries@aware.com.au as the primary processing channel. Member Support 1300 650 873 for status chasing.

Published turnaround

No published turnaround for TPA/information requests - unverified. (A '3-5 business days' figure that appears in search results is Equip Super's standard, not Aware's - do not use it.) Aware markets '95% of transactions digitised, 80%+ straight-through processing' (Sept 2025). Complaints have published standards (see IDR). For product/service requests generally, complaint policy notes simple matters resolved within 5 business days may be confirmed verbally.

Watch-outs

(1) Generic authority letters rejected - V851 form only ('We only accept TPAs via this form'). (2) Address mismatch is a silent killer: form address must match fund records; update address first or the TPA stalls. (3) Three ID layers for advisers: licensee AFSL + practice ABN + each individual's ASIC authorised-rep number - missing any one delays processing. (4) Each authorised person must give a direct email + mobile because Aware sends member documents via one-time-PIN; shared practice inboxes without a mobile break this. (5) 3-year expiry means authorities lapse and need re-lodgement - a tracking opportunity. (6) TelstraSuper merger (2025-26): existing TelstraSuper TPAs did NOT transfer to Aware - every migrated client needs a fresh V851 (confirmed on Aware's merger FAQ). Same pattern applied in earlier VicSuper/WA Super mergers. (7) A legacy 'FSS061' First State Super TPA form still circulates online - it will likely be rejected; use current V851 06/25. (8) Adviser sentiment (IFA article comments, 2023): slow application processing, unanswered hotline, no portal document lodgement, next-day callback roulette ('if you miss that call, the process starts again'); the Sept 2025 portal upgrades address some of this but no published TPA SLA exists.

If they go quiet

Email: complaints_officer@aware.com.au; Online: 'Submit a complaint' form on aware.com.au; Post: Complaints Officer, Aware Super, GPO Box 89, Melbourne VIC 3001; Phone: 1300 650 873 (intl +61 3 9131 6373). Published commitments (Complaints Policy page, updated Mar 2026): acknowledgment within 1 business day with a unique case number; response within 45 days for super complaints, 30 days for privacy and financial-advice complaints, 90 days for death benefit objections; must notify before the deadline with reasons if delayed. Policy explicitly recognises 'third parties who are authorised to act on behalf of the complainant' as eligible complainants - i.e. a TPA-holder can lodge the IDR complaint, which is directly relevant to SuperChase's escalation feature. Escalation: AFCA (1800 931 678, GPO Box 3 Melbourne VIC 3001, afca.org.au).

Under s1017C of the Corporations Act, a trustee must make reasonable efforts to comply with an information request within one month. If Aware Super exceeds its own published standard, a formal internal-dispute-resolution complaint starts a 45-calendar-day clock under ASIC Regulatory Guide 271 — with AFCA as the next stop.